[DesertRhino]

“The bottom line is that Russia wants Ukraine back.”

That wasn’t the case until the coup, not a move was made to make hat happen. Before that they wanted 2 things, to have Ukraine not steal gas in pipeline transit...and for Ukraine not to become a NATO member.
They never wanted it back, it’s so corrupt even Russia sees them as “corrupt”.
But they were never going to sit still for NATO formations on the border 350 miles from Moscow, and 250 from Volgograd, and Sevastopol being a US Navy base.

But it was a nice neocon dream.

[tlozo]

So Putin decided to show Ukraine his belief in slavic brotherhood by invading Ukraine and waging a four year war with them? All it did was unite Ukraine in hatred of Putin. Ukraine will inevitably join NATO or get nukes. Its the only defense against Russia.

Ukraine not to become a NATO member